Apple Watch review: a more cultivated smartwatch

YOU get what you pay for, but there’s still so many unanswered questions.

TODAY’S Apple event didn’t offer much new information about Apple Watch, technically speaking. Apple CEO Tim Cook reiterated many of the features that were evident either during the Watch’s preview in September last year or since.

What we learnt was availability and price. Australia as usual will be among the first countries to receive the watch. People will be able to view it and try it on by appointment in Apple stores in Australia from April 10. It will launch in nine countries including Australia on April 24.

Prices here for the three editions will start from $499 for Apple Watch Sport, $799 for Apple Watch and from $14,000 for the 18-carat gold Apple Watch Edition.

The pricey nature of Apple Watch and the declining dollar means you’ll be paying significant money for Apple Watch here, more than for the Android smartwatch opposition, and more than for many smartphones.

But as often occurs in life, you get what you pay for and Apple has gone to lengths to work with developers to offer a quality integrated experience.

I must say I was disappointed that today’s keynote didn’t include more granular information about more of the big names implementing apps on the watch. Big name engagement arguabley is where Apple Watch will stand out. eBay, Disney, Sales Force, Bank of America, BMW, Honeywell, Starwood Hotels and Lutron are believed to be among them.

We did get a recap on how you could securely walk through a hotel lobby and use your watch to unlock your room door or make your way through an airport using the American Airlines watch app.

It has intrigued me how Apple would define what a smartwatch does. Today indicates the raison d’etre for an Apple Watch is about the same as for an Android one, but Apple is offering a more cultivated version of it.

Notifications (‘glances’), activity and fitness monitoring, payments, playing mobile music on the watch, vibration alerts, apps that control locks, garage doors and air conditioners or offer security access to hotel rooms, seem the go.

I’m yet to be convinced that Siri, voice commands and taking calls on your watch will be widely embraced. I don’t know many people who use Siri or any of the main personal assistant apps on a phone, let alone a watch. And there’s plenty of tasks better performed on a phone rather than a watch. To replicate everything on a smartwatch I think is a big mistake.

There’s still many unanswered questions. Will Apple’s claim of all-day battery life stack up? Is its optical heart rate monitor accurate enough to interest those into serious training? We’ll know soon enough when the reviews are in. And we don’t have new information about any intended rollout of Apple Pay in Australia.

So where does this leave Android Wear watches? In the beauty stakes, Android and other watches should hold their own against Apple Watch. Recent Android watches such as the Moto 360, LG’s G watch R and the new Huawei Watch are beautiful round faced wristwatches with smart functionality built in.

The fact some traditional Swiss watchmakers are starting to make smartwatches along with quality brands such as Guess means Apple’s square watches have stiff competition in looks.

When it comes to software, the picture is different. While the likes of Samsung, LG and Sony make quality watch hardware, they are being dragged down by Android Wear. Its convoluted watch menu system, and the overabundance of Google Now cards are two issues.

The experience on Android Wear has been poor enough for third-party Android smartwatch launchers to appear to improve the user experience. And it’s interesting to see Samsung and LG experimenting with other operating system such as Tizen and WebOS on their watches — Android Wear love is not universal.

Thankfully, there will be some improvement in Android Wear shortly as Google’s Lollipop is rolled out. It’s certainly viable despite poor Android watch sales to date. Hopefully Apple Watch will push Android to provide a much better user experience. Everyone will benefit from the competition.

So who will buy Apple Watch? A survey we published today by Pureprofile says about 4.2 per cent of adults in Australia intend to buy it as early adopters. Another 18.9 per cent may do so when it’s better known. The survey also found there were people who would buy Apple Watch without understanding what it does. Also, around a quarter of the population hadn’t heard about Appler Watch.

So the jury is out on its success. It will be fascinating to see how Apple Watch goes.

Read more:

Apple Watch: everything you need to know

Apple Watch’s popularity in Australia

Apple launches ResearchKit

Apple introduces 12-inch notebook